Decluttering: What to keep

Are you making a costly mistake when you throw things out?
- byJane Pine

12 Jun
2018

We’ve never been more obsessed with decluttering. In recent years, a plethora of books have been written on the topic, and if you’re not up to doing it yourself, you can always hire a decluttering expert to do it for you.

But according to Jacquie Denny, co-founder of online estate sale company Everything But the House, you could be making a costly error.

She believes that people forget to consider the resale value of some of their items.

"I always tell people that as soon as someone calls me and says either 'my mom doesn't have anything' or 'she has the ugliest art I've ever seen,' I want to go to that house," she told Apartment Therapy.

She says that when considering the value of something, it really depends on two things: condition and rarity.

So what should you keep, and what should you toss? Read on for Jacquie's expert opinion on the things you shouldn't be chucking.

If you’ve collected a china ‘pattern’ over the years, it might be worth hanging on to it.

"When you talk about china on a broad scale, it's not as valuable as it used to be because people entertain more casually now, but there are still stars," say Denny. Brands like Royal Albert, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood have resale value.

It can be hard to part with sentimental items, but boxes of keepsakes can take up a lot of room in storage. So how do you decide?

According to Denny, "If it's an item that's sentimental, or has a family history to it, I encourage them to keep it unless the family gets into the situation where they need to sell a historical piece.”

However, she cautions that “If you're not going to display it or see it or share it, if it's just going to sit in a cabinet, sell it and put the money in an account and go on a trip together."